Flood Control Systems & Overhead Sewer in Lake in the Hills, IL

• Water rising from the floor drain

  The classic signature. The floor drain is the lowest opening in the house, so a surcharged main pushes there first. That water is coming from the sewer, not the soil.

• It happens during heavy rain, not after

  Groundwater problems build over hours or days. Sewer surcharge happens during the storm itself, when the municipal system is at capacity.

• The water is not clean

  Odour, discolouration or debris means sanitary sewer. That is a health issue as well as a property one and it deserves a permanent fix.

• A basement bathroom or laundry backs up first

  Below-grade fixtures are directly exposed to whatever the main does. If those back up while upstairs fixtures are fine, the direction of flow tells the story.

• Your neighbours have the same problem

  Multiple houses on a street backing up in the same storm points at the municipal system rather than at anything wrong on your property.

• It has happened more than once

  Once is bad luck. Twice is a pattern, and the pattern will continue every time a storm of that size arrives.

1. 1. Establish what is actually happening

   Sewer surcharge, groundwater, or a blocked lateral on your own property? A camera inspection rules out the third before anyone proposes the expensive solutions to the first two.

2. 2. Map every below-grade fixture

   Floor drains, basement bathroom, laundry, utility sink, and any drain in a lower level. The design has to account for all of them, because whatever is left unprotected becomes the new relief point.

3. 3. Match the solution to the risk

   A backwater valve alone, a full flood control system with a valve and an ejector, or a complete overhead sewer conversion. These are very different costs and very different levels of protection.

4. 4. Permit and plan the excavation

   Permitted, inspected work. We plan the concrete cuts, the routing and the access to minimise both the disruption and the restoration.

5. 5. Install and reconnect

   Valve and basin set at correct elevations, fixtures rerouted where the design calls for it, and everything sloped and vented properly.

6. 6. Test, inspect, and show you the maintenance

   Inspection passed, then we show you where the access cover is and how the valve is checked — because a backwater valve nobody maintains eventually stops working.

Which solution the situation calls for

A single backwater valve is the most affordable. A full overhead sewer conversion, which reroutes below-grade fixtures to discharge above the sewer line via an ejector, is the most thorough and the most expensive.

Number of below-grade fixtures

A floor drain alone is one thing. A finished basement with a full bathroom, laundry and wet bar is a considerably bigger re-plumb.

Concrete work

Cutting, excavating and re-pouring basement floor is a real part of the cost. A finished floor above it adds restoration.

Ejector basin requirements

Overhead conversion means an ejector pit and pump for everything below the new sewer height, plus power to it.

Access and finish level

An unfinished basement is straightforward. Working around a finished lower level with flooring, drywall and built-ins is not.

Permit and inspection

Required, pulled by us, itemized separately. This is not work anyone should do unpermitted.

Some municipalities offer cost-sharing or rebate programs for flood control installation. We will tell you if we know of one that applies — it is worth asking the Village before you start.

Flood Control & Overhead Sewer FAQs